The Environment Agency has issued a flood warning in Cambridge following heavy rainfall yesterday and this morning.

River levels are now rising in response to the 8mm of rainfall, with the lower River Cam and its tributaries at Hobson and Coldham’s Brooks among those expected to be affected.

They will continue to rise until around lunchtime today.

The agency have said they expect low lying land and roads to be affected first and that further showers are expected for the next few days.

Elsewhere in Cambridgeshire a road outside the village of Sutton has been closed in both directions because of flooding.

The Sutton Gault Causeway, between The Anchor Inn and the Bedingham’s Drove junction, is closed this morning after water levels rose in a nearby river.

Wash Road in Welney has also been closed in both directions because of flooding.

The AA is urging drivers not to ignore the dangers of flood water, as it announces that it has attended more than 1,500 flood-related call-outs since December 23.

The total includes around 400 vehicles actually stuck in water and the rest are ones that had driven through flood water and subsequently broke down.

Darron Burness, head of the AA’s flood rescue team, says: “It’s a real concern that so many drivers are still seemingly oblivious to the dangers presented by flood water and are even passing ‘road closed’ and flood warning signs.

“The last week or so has been the AA’s busiest period in recent times for flood call-outs and over such a large area of the country.

“Our patrols have seen it all in that time – including people ignoring road closure signs, blindly following their sat-nav or other drivers into deep water and 4x4 drivers naively thinking their car has amphibious qualities – and time and again they hear the same excuses that the driver didn’t think the floods were very deep or that their car could deal with it.

“The bottom line is that flood water can be deceptively powerful and dangerous and there will be further tragedies unless people take heed of the dangers. More than 1,500 people rescued by the AA this last week have learnt the hard way but next time it could be loss of life rather than a wrecked car.

“No journey is worth it. If the road ahead is flooded, turn round and make a detour and don’t just blindly follow other cars into flood water. Also, unless they have been specially modified, four-wheel-drive vehicles are no better equipped than any other vehicle. Floods don’t count as ‘off road’ terrain.”

Mr Burness also points out that it’s not just deep water that can write a car off: driving too fast through shallow water can lead the engine to ingest water. He adds: “Drivers who explicitly ignore road closed signs, or advice that the road ahead is flooded and then lose their vehicle in water, may find their insurer won’t pay out.”